Two Montreal Designers Rethink the Photo Frame - Frame and hang a picture, without any tools, in less than a minute

MONTREAL, June 4, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Laurent Carrier and Kurt Hibchen, two Montreal designers, are launching their brand new product: FLIXI, a photo frame entirely designed and produced in Canada and that enables photo lovers to hang and frame their pictures in less than a minute, without any tools or any damage to the wall.

"We all take thousands of photos, but rarely enjoy the pleasure of seeing them displayed on our walls. Many of us have a pile of frames or photos lying around at home gathering dust" declared Kurt Hibchen, FLIXI co-designer and Toboggan Design co-founder. "There are so many steps between snapping a picture and finally hanging it on your wall, that most of the time, we just end up putting it off. On top of it, once you hit a nail in the wall, you've got a hole… which makes it hard to change your mind."

Every year, more than 380 billion photos are taken and FLIXI is about to revolutionize our relationship with them by freeing them from our electronic devices. Thanks to FLIXI and its web application, it will now be easy to frame and hang photos. Wall galleries of FLIXI frames can be installed and rearranged in a flash.

The key to FLIXI's simplicity is its patent pending wall anchoring system, the WallSnap. Its special adhesive and springy feet prevent the frame from sticking to the wall until the frame is in the right spot. Its build-in level helps make it perfectly straight.

A Kickstarter campaign to bring FLIXI to your wallKickstarter is a hub for creators and innovative projects. Early in the development of FLIXI, it became clear for its designers that this platform had to be at the center of their launch strategy. Even though the campaign's objective is to raise $ 60,000, the strength of Kickstarter is its ability to build a community of interest around a project. Thanks to backers' pledges, FLIXI will go into production. Backers will receive a quantity of frames in accordance to the level of their financial contribution.

"Contributing to a product success and then owning it is very exciting" says Laurent Carrier, FLIXI co-designer and Toboggan Design co-founder. 'The vast majority of products on our shelves are imported and rare are the occasions that allow us to contribute directly to a local business' success".

Montreal InnovationLaurent Carrier and Kurt Hibchen are Montreal designers well established in the business and design community. They believe strongly in local production so it was obvious to them that FLIXI had to be produced in Montreal. Building close collaborations with local suppliers helps create local jobs and makes for a better product.

Curate your interior decorFLIXI is also distinctive because of its web application that allows users to upload their photos and to create and visualize wall galleries. It also allows them to mix and match eight different frame and mat colours to obtain a truly personalized result. During the Kickstarter campaign, FLIXI will be offered in three different sizes (4x6, 5x7 et 8x10).

About the designersLaurent Carrier and Kurt Hibchen founded Toboggan Design in 1999 and have been designing playful and mindful interactive experiences and products ever since. Kurt Hibchen hosts the TV Show 'Design is everywhere' airing on CBC's ARTV. Together, they design museum exhibitions, electronic devices and sport equipment, such as a football helmet that won a Good Design Award in 2009. They have also designed and marketed their own products, the Capsul Card Case for example, which is sold around the world.